About the Update

What is the Land Use Plan?

The Land Use Plan is a high level document that outlines policy direction and guidance for development, redevelopment and land use decisions. The Plan is published as Chapter 6 of the City’s Comprehensive Plan. The Plan furthers the Comprehensive Plan’s overall vision and sets out a specific land use vision and goals for the city and outlines actions that will achieve those goals to ensure Sugar Land continues to thrive.

Why Update the Plan?

The Land Use Plan is a component of the city’s Comprehensive Plan and should be updated regularly to ensure it is aligned with community values. The Land Use Plan is published as Chapter 6 of the City’s Comprehensive Plan of which Chapters 1 through 5 and Future Land Use Map were updated and approved by City Council in July 2012. The remainder of the Land Use Plan was last updated in 2004. Since then, as the City has continued to grow, the city is transitioning.

Learning from the Past, Looking to the Future

As Sugar Land’s infrastructure and buildings age, the city faces new challenges in ensuring that it develops and redevelops to remain a desirable place to live and conduct business. With minimal vacant land left to develop, the city must be stringent in the type of development it attracts in order to continue to be a premier place to live, work, shop, and play. As the last remaining vacant properties within the City develop, the focus is shifting to guiding infill and redevelopment in order to preserve the value of existing neighborhoods and commercial districts.

Continued commercial development and a vibrant economy are essential in maintaining the city’s low tax rate. Even as the average home value in the city has seen tremendous growth in past decades – both a reflection of the construction of new, higher-priced homes and of the strong value of property in Sugar Land, the City has taken special care to minimize the impact to the average residential tax bill by raising the homestead exemption, which has resulted in the average tax bill growing significantly slower than home values.

The city will change—whether planned or unplanned—in response to long-term shifts in market demands and demographic trends. The Land Use Plan will guide that change in order to respond to evolving needs of current and future residents. The Land Use Advisory Committee has thoughtfully planned for the next generations, such that they may enjoy the Sugar Land that meets their needs and expectations, just as others before planned for the Sugar Land of today. With continued citizen involvement and the Land Use Advisory Committee’s recommendations, the Land Use Plan will guide the city into the next 20-25 years.